Subjects for Year 12 (1 Viewer)

[strawberry1601]

Hello

I'm in Year 11 and stressed for subjects for HSC.

I currently do:
Eng Ext 1
Maths Ext 1
Biology
Geography
Economics

I'm looking to pick up Ext 2 maths and drop Ext 1 English, so I can either do 12 units or 10 units for HSC.

The thing is, I failed the biology exam (60-70%) in term 1 with all the other subjects 90+. For the content, it's okay - it can be a bit dry sometimes.

I want to pursue a career in medicine/health.

I don't know if I should do biology as my 11th and 12th unit just because it's good to do a science OR if I should drop biology and not do any sciences and have 10 units.

Been trawling the forums and people are saying either "do sciences!!" or "go for a good ATAR!!!".

Any thoughts/advice?

EDIT: It's midway through Year 12, and I've come back to this post to cringe at my year 11 self.

Some updates/advice:
1. I ended up dropping economics - I began to hate it midway through the year, and the content wasn't that engaging, I was falling behind, and I hadn't built up the skills I needed in Year 11
2. I made it to Ext 2 maths. Funnily enough, I am doing 10 units - Did I stress and deliberate over this for ages? Yes. Was it worth it? Currently, a thousand times yes.
3. And bio is now my favourite subject. I ranked in the top 5 for semester 1.

So lesson here Is, go with your gut, know what you like and dislike. Think through your decisions, but trust yourself enough to make the right choices. You'll have stuff you will regret, but at the end of the day, it's all a learning experience. Just know that you'll be fine

 

[anne123123]

I won't be of any help as I am currently in year 10, but I just want to ask you about your experience with Geography, Biology and Economics. These are the subjects that I exactly want to do, though I want to pursue a field in technology...

I also want to do:
Eng Ext 1
Maths Ext 1
Biology
Geography
Economics

So how have you felt this year when taking all these subjects?

THanks!!!

 

[sida1049]

The thing is, I failed the biology exam (60-70%) in term 1 with all the other subjects 90+. For the content, it's okay - it can be a bit dry sometimes.

I want to pursue a career in medicine/health.

I don't know if I should do biology as my 11th and 12th unit just because it's good to do a science OR if I should drop biology and not do any sciences and have 10 units.

Been trawling the forums and people are saying either "do sciences!!" or "go for a good ATAR!!!".

Any thoughts/advice?

I personally think you should do 12 units, i.e. keep biology. The main reason is simply that if you are going into medicine/health, then having that final year of HSC biology knowledge in your belt gives you good foundational knowledge that you'll actually need.

That said, the ATAR is probably super important for medicine (tbh I know nothing about it), and if that's the case, then dropping down to 10 units is fair. You can catch up on biology over your long post-HSC break.

 

[strawberry1601]

I won't be of any help as I am currently in year 10, but I just want to ask you about your experience with Geography, Biology and Economics. These are the subjects that I exactly want to do, though I want to pursue a field in technology...

I also want to do:
Eng Ext 1
Maths Ext 1
Biology
Geography
Economics

So how have you felt this year when taking all these subjects?

THanks!!!

Hi Anne,

For Biology, I guess it depends on the person; I found it some sections boring, and others a lot more interesting. Coming from someone who isn't doing so great at it; pick it if you think you've been doing well in it And like everyone says, yes there is a lot of content and a lot of it is very very interconnected so make sure you're building your knowledge over the term.

For Geography, I found it really interesting - we actually didn't cover as MUCH content as bio in my opinion. We did some physical geography (environmental stuff) and human geography (population, developing countries) which were both something I enjoyed learning about. With geography, I think 25%?? is skills - not very hard, you just have to know how to do it and you'll be set. All you need is some logic and interest and you'll be fine.

For Economics, it starts off basic (if you did commerce in year9/10 you'll find the beginning is sort of revision) but it does get harder and content does get heavier. It's honestly a new 'skill' with economics - you'll find yourself struggling with terms and language etc. but it will get better.

For advanced English, it was compulsory at my school but seriously, you'll be fine. I averaged 16-19/20 in year 7-10 and doing pretty well. Just know what teachers expect (you should know after 4 years) write what they want to see.

For Extension English, that's a different story. It honestly is like another subject. The content is completely different, but the lessons are more 'free' in that you do your own thing, have your own thoughts etc. I'm planning to drop because I didn't love the lessons - we did a lot of readings, studied one novel for a half a year, it just wasn't something I enjoyed.

For maths, if you like it, did well in it in year 7-10, you'll be fine.

I suggest you look at the syllabuses for these subjects for more info on what you're going to do.

Go with what you enjoy - it's bound to be something you're good at.

Good luck for subject selection

 

[strawberry1601]

I personally think you should do 12 units, i.e. keep biology. The main reason is simply that if you are going into medicine/health, then having that final year of HSC biology knowledge in your belt gives you good foundational knowledge that you'll actually need.

That said, the ATAR is probably super important for medicine (tbh I know nothing about it), and if that's the case, then dropping down to 10 units is fair. You can catch up on biology over your long post-HSC break.

Thanks for the advice!

I guess I already knew I wanted to keep bio, but just not sure if I can juggle 12 units.

 

[anne123123]

Hi Anne,

For Biology, I guess it depends on the person; I found it some sections boring, and others a lot more interesting. Coming from someone who isn't doing so great at it; pick it if you think you've been doing well in it And like everyone says, yes there is a lot of content and a lot of it is very very interconnected so make sure you're building your knowledge over the term.

For Geography, I found it really interesting - we actually didn't cover as MUCH content as bio in my opinion. We did some physical geography (environmental stuff) and human geography (population, developing countries) which were both something I enjoyed learning about. With geography, I think 25%?? is skills - not very hard, you just have to know how to do it and you'll be set. All you need is some logic and interest and you'll be fine.

For Economics, it starts off basic (if you did commerce in year9/10 you'll find the beginning is sort of revision) but it does get harder and content does get heavier. It's honestly a new 'skill' with economics - you'll find yourself struggling with terms and language etc. but it will get better.

For advanced English, it was compulsory at my school but seriously, you'll be fine. I averaged 16-19/20 in year 7-10 and doing pretty well. Just know what teachers expect (you should know after 4 years) write what they want to see.

For Extension English, that's a different story. It honestly is like another subject. The content is completely different, but the lessons are more 'free' in that you do your own thing, have your own thoughts etc. I'm planning to drop because I didn't love the lessons - we did a lot of readings, studied one novel for a half a year, it just wasn't something I enjoyed.

For maths, if you like it, did well in it in year 7-10, you'll be fine.

I suggest you look at the syllabuses for these subjects for more info on what you're going to do.

Go with what you enjoy - it's bound to be something you're good at.

Good luck for subject selection

Thank you so much for the advice!!!

 

[sida1049]

I guess I already knew I wanted to keep bio, but just not sure if I can juggle 12 units.

If it makes you feel any better, I did 12 units in the HSC:
English Advanced,
Mathematics Extension 2,
Economics,
Physics, and
Chemistry.

I did it not because I needed 12 units, but simply because by the time I got to Year 12 I didn't know what I wanted to drop, and I was happy to keep all my units. I didn't feel like my HSC year was super stressful either, and by the time HSC came, I felt pretty prepared for all the exams.

A lot of people will tell you to drop biology simply because they can't imagine taking on 12 units for the HSC, but that's them and not you. I think you'll do just fine.

Good luck!

 

[D-BOSS]

Hello

I'm in Year 11 and stressed for subjects for HSC.

I currently do:
Eng Ext 1
Maths Ext 1
Biology
Geography
Economics

I'm looking to pick up Ext 2 maths and drop Ext 1 English, so I can either do 12 units or 10 units for HSC.

The thing is, I failed the biology exam (60-70%) in term 1 with all the other subjects 90+. For the content, it's okay - it can be a bit dry sometimes.

I want to pursue a career in medicine/health.

I don't know if I should do biology as my 11th and 12th unit just because it's good to do a science OR if I should drop biology and not do any sciences and have 10 units.

Been trawling the forums and people are saying either "do sciences!!" or "go for a good ATAR!!!".

Any thoughts/advice?

Drop Geo. You want to do medicine. Pick up Chemistry or Physics.